Snowball Shooter

These oh so cute snowball shooters are a snap to make and are a hilariously fun way to explore some key concepts in physics. They are the perfect compliment to our Force and Motion Activity Pack!

Getting Ready

To make each snowball shooter, we grabbed:

Toilet paper tube

White paper (I used cardstock for durability)

Markers

Glue Stick

Tape (optional)

Balloon

Scissors

White pom poms or cotton balls

Washi Tape, Ribbon, or fabric scraps (optional, for embellishment)

First, I cut an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper into four pieces that were each 4.25 in x 5.5 inches.

Then the kids and I drew a snowman face and buttons on the middle of each piece of paper.

Next, we flipped the paper over, used the glue stick to cover the back, and glued it to the toilet paper tube.

I secured the seam with a piece of tape. Of course, no snowman is complete without a scarf! We used washi tape and some felt scraps to add a little coziness to our snowmen.

Finally, I tied off the end of a white balloon, cut the very tip off the top, stretched it over the bottom of the toilet paper tape, and the snowballs were ready to fly.

We made our first few using the white balloon for the bottom so our snowmen could “blow their tops” as my 7 year old said. But using a colored balloon as a hat for the top of the snowman works too and is guaranteed to get a lot of giggles when the snowman shoots snowballs out his behind!

Playing with the Snowman Shooters

Just playing with the shooters had my kiddos explore several concepts in physics: gravity, energy, and principles of angle, trajectory, and velocity.

They figured out that the more they pulled back on the balloon, the further the pom pom flew.

Then they tried perfecting their aim by banking the pom poms off the ceiling to hit each other.

After awhile, my 4 year old started testing other small items to see how they flew. Little did he know he was exploring how weight affects a projectile. Take away all the giggles, and you’ve got an afternoon of angles and trajectories, mass and velocity, geometry and physics.